What's Driving the Continued Skyrocketing Gun Sales?

[kegler14]

http://www.examiner.com/x-3704-Columbia-Conservative-Examiner~y2009m6d18-Whats-driving-the-continued-skyrocketing-gun-sales

Gee, that's easy to explain. First, conservatives are whipping up fear and paranoia for no reason other than their hatred of Democrats. Second, liberals are rightfully worried about conservative nutcases going on rampages, so they're buying guns.

[rocktivity]

1. I agree-liberals have decided to start shooting back

:headbang:
rocktivity

[Fovea]

2. Remember bleeding Kansas?

Settlers and activists from the South and the North poured into Kansas, then wired back home for more guns.

And the civil war started almost a decade early there.

[no_hypocrisy]

3. Great marketing by gun manufacturers..

Telling different groups not to trust their government to keep them safe from "bad guys" (criminals, democrats, gays, non-white minions, poor people, etc.) and making enough weapons for demand.

[underpants]

6. Yep and there is a news story every two weeks or so

reporting how "everyone is doing it" and we are a nation of followers

[no_hypocrisy]

10. If they're not buying gold, they're buying guns . . . .

[kegler14]

4. I suspect that gun and ammunition manufacturers are also

helping fuel this gun-buying mania. They're raking in the bucks, especially with the escalating price of ammunition.

[ThomWV]

5. Continued skyrocketing fearmongering drives continued skyrocketing gun sales.

[HopeHoops]

7. An ample supply of fucking idiots - that's what.

Paranoid morons.

[kegler14]

11. I'm always amazed at the paranoia among some concealed carriers.

I remember one guy on a conservative site talking about how he had pulled or started to pull his weapon several times when he was "threatened."

My reply? Man, you either need to move to a different town, adopt a less aggressive attitude, or dial back the paranoia factor. The ONLY time in my life I've ever felt threatened like that was when I wrote a newspaper story about a double murder and the murderer told his son from jail to hunt me down (he never did).

It must be stressful to live every moment of your life afraid that somebody's going to attack you.

[OhioChick]

13. "It must be stressful to live every moment of your life afraid that somebody's going to attack you."

Don't live in Cleveland, do you? :)

[ThomWV]

42. but very relaxing knowing every minute that if you are attacked you can defend yourself

[kegler14]

48. Nope, don't live in Cleveland.

I can walk my neighborhood at night unarmed and feel perfectly safe.

[Statistical]

21. In most states that is a felony.

Brandishing a firearm is considered lethal force.
Using lethal forces in a situation that doesn't require it is a crime.
Local police might want to know that. Hell if someone notified them he might rat on himself not realizing he has "done anything wrong".

[AndyTiedye]

37. So How Long Until Mr. Quck-Draw McGraw Meets Someone Else Just Like Him and they Shoot Each Other?

Mr. Quick-Draw goes for his gun because he "feels threatened",
and someone else does the same because he sees Mr. Quick-Draw going for a gun. Bang Bang.

[undeterred]

8. Now they're letting 10 year olds hunt in Wisconsin...

Gotta get a gun in their hands as early as possible.

[Indydem]

15. So? Children exposed to guns at a young age respect them.

Show me the last time a teenager or adult taught to hunt and respect a gun went on some kind of killing rampage.

Barking up the wrong tree.

[undeterred]

19. Obviously you are unaware of how juvenile gun violence works.

Its quite common for gang members to put a gun in the hand of the youngest child they can find and talk him into doing the killing. Its no stretch to think that right wing nuts in rural areas could do the same thing.

[Statistical]

22. No it is a strectch. Who is the fearful paranoid one again?

[undeterred]

23. How many right wing hate groups are there in your state?

How many thousands of people are showing up at gun shows? Wake up and smell the coffee.

[Statistical]

24. Thousands of people have been going to gun shows for the last 100 years.

[Indydem]

27. Are you actually comparing hunters to gang members??

Out of touch much?

[undeterred]

36. No, I'm not.

But I don't know why this legislation had to be passed. If there aren't enough hunters in Wisconsin to take care of the deer population problem then maybe somebody should try to figure out 1) why people who grew up hunting no longer have any interest in doing it and 2) how to attract more adult hunters to the state from out of state for deer hunting season.

The idea "lets train 10 year olds to shoot" doesn't seem to answer the "not enough hunters" problem... (I would guess that the 10 year olds aren't going to be very good at it for a while.)

So whats the driving force behind this legislation? Take a look at the posts on right wing sites and you'll see that they are eager to arm every member of their group by any means possible. I don't think getting 10 year olds to hunt is really a solution for the "too many deer" problem. I think its a solution to something else that nobody is saying out loud: Lets arm everyone on the right, even the children, so we can make our own law.

[Indydem]

38. Holy cow, are you really serious?

Perhaps parents want to take their children hunting to learn to shoot, respect weapons, enjoy the outdoors and learn self-reliance.

The law doesn't say "10 year olds can carry handguns"

The idea that allowing 10 year olds to hunt in a state like Wisconsin, where a vast majority of the state is rural, is akin to some kind of armament plan for the whack job right is paranoia at its worst.

Not to mention, Wisconsin has a Democratic governor, a Democratic senate, and a Democratic assembly. I find it highly unlikely that they are advancing a right-wing armament plan.

[TheMightyFavog]

18. I'm pro hunting, and I think it's a stupid idea.

By all means, let the kid tag along, but don't let the kid pull the trigger. 10 year olds lack the mental maturity to safely handle a firearm. And besides, aside from .22 Long Rilfe, .410 guage and 20 guage used for small game hunting, most 10 year olds lack the strength and balance needed to handle the larger caliber weapons used for large game and waterfowl hunting. The recoil from a 30.06 or 12 gauge will easily knock a young kid kid on his can. (I still remember Dad's 16 gauge knocking me to the ground) If the kid's doesn't hold the butt tight enough against their shoulder, the recoil could potentailly send the kid to the hospital. (Happend to a friend of mine in grade school. Recoil from his Uncle's duck gun broke his shoulder.)

[old mark]

32. I learned to shoot when I was 10, in that terrible fascist organization

the Cub Scouts.
I learned to handle guns safely.
I am nearly 62 and still own and regularly carry guns, and I am a lifelong Democrat. I still handle guns safely thanks to the lessons I learned over 50 years ago.

mark

[jehovas_waitress]

34. I see no problem with a 10 or 12 year old with his or her dad hunting rabbits with a .22

[livetoride]

9. Really?

As a Democrat and a gun owner I can tell you that the last thing I'm worried about it a "conservative nutcase". The run on guns is not partisan. It's a well organized marketing ploy by the NRA and ammo and firearm manufacturers. For almost 2 years in the run up to the Obama election the NRA worked to spool up the fear factor. And it worked. Gun owners from both sides of the isle are in panic mode. And only time, and no active "gun grabbing" by the current administration, will ease that. Making it sound like there are 2 camps arming themselves for some conflict is wrong, divisive, and wholly inaccurate.

-Peter

[kegler14]

12. You'll notice that I later acknowledged the industry role in this.

[kegler14]

14. BTW, if you don't think some conservatives aren't arming themselves for conflict,

you obviously don't read conservative websites. Some of those folks are ready for rebellion.

[livetoride]

26. I belong to a couple of..

..firearm web sites (at one such site they used to accuse me of being a D.U. spy). And yes the rhetoric there is strong. But frankly whats to say we should not all be ready for a little rebellion? My favorite Jefferson quote is "I hold it that a little rebellion now and then is a good thing. - Thomas Jefferson". If you asked the middle ground from either party if their political needs are being met both sides would say NO.. The parties, as they exist, are bloated relics. Polarized around sloganized single issue talking points and in no way working for the real betterment of the people they supposedly work for..

But really, the ammo hoarding and gun buying is not some dark prelude to a "Conservative Uprising".. It's a response to fear based market manipulation.

[votingupstart]

49. i would say the extremes of both sides -

may be suggesting an "uprising"

i have seen and heard some of the rights wing freeper stuff, but in honesty i have to say i have seen threads here on DU suggesting the same thing.

i think (just my opinion) theses extremists, while vocal are a decidedly small fraction of either party. Anyone who thinks voting with bullets is better than ballots is to far out from reality for me.

i do think that a fear of future bans, along with statements of the AG and others in the Presidents cabinet, (along with a generous amount of fan fare by the NRA) has gun owners - waiting for the other shoe to drop so to speak. on the other hand it is one industry that is not facing a recession (bright side to almost everything i guess)

[Commie Pinko Dirtbag]

29. Wrong and right, respectively.

"The run on guns is not partisan. It's a well organized marketing ploy by the NRA and ammo and firearm manufacturers."

[sarcasmo]

16. Fear and Stupidity.

[Winterblues]

17. In One Word....Stupidity

No other Logical explanation.....:shrug:

[anonymous171]

20. Correct.

[pinniped]

25. The daily stories about cities laying off LEOs might be a contributing factor.

.

[Lone_Star_Dem]

28. Mostly it's a fear campaign that "Liberals" are going to take their guns away

It started right after Obama was elected and has been escalating since then.

[old mark]

33. There were even lists online of the specific weapons that would be "banned"

by Obama and evil Joe Biden. The lists were ridiculously inclusive - according to them, almost nothing would be legal and most existing weapons and ammo would be confiscated by the leftist fascist Democrat demons. There are people whe really believe stuff like this, especially if you keep telling them it's true over and over.
And, of course we have some fools on the Democratic side who would be only too happy to do it.

Actually, I bought some evil rifles and a lot of ammo when W was president for use against the GOP/RW revolutionary crazies.....Might still come in handy.

mark

[Taitertots]

30. Obvious response

Obama has called for many of the most popular firearms to be banned. He supported the DC gun ban and supports the Chicago gun ban. If you hope to ever own them, buy them now.

[Mugu]

31. I spent yesterday afternoon teaching a youngster

the finer points of personal conflict resolution.

[cbdo2007]

35. This is true...it's not at the top of my list but...

I do need to buy a gun one of these days. You never know what's gonna happen in the future but it's not the 1950's anymore.

[AlinPA]

39. More than one reason: one is the right wing getting ready for their "armed revolution"

against the black president and Democrats. Craziness.

[benEzra]

40. Concern over new restrictions on the most popular civilian guns,

e.g., so-called "assault weapons" and defensive-style pistols, is the primary driver. Whenever the MSM publishes another "ban the black guns!!!" editorial, or a legislator opens his/her mouth and starts calling for new bans, people who'd like to own an AR-15, civilian AK, or Springfield XD someday are encouraged to go out and buy it now just in case the Carrie Nation types succeed, small though that chance may be.

I'm sure economic uncertainty is also a contributing factor, but it was concern over new bans that drove the sharp spike. And the fact that Obama has put the kibosh on a new AWB and told Holder et al to STFU about new gun bans seems to be slowing the surge somewhat; I see civilian AK's are finally back below $500 now, still elevated above the 2002-2003 price but not nearly as much so.

[old mark]

41. Want to add the guns I see selling are "serious" weapons, not guns

mainly used for hunting - I see a lot of single action revolvers being traded in on auto pistols, and small autos - .25's and .32's traded on 9mm's and up. I can find a lot of used lever action and bolt action rifles, but the auto loaders and varmint ans sniper type bolt rifles are hard to find. I still see a lot of DA revolvers on the shelf, too - even a nice S&W .44 Mag Hunter model I had my eye on, but I don't have the $600 now.....robably won't for some time, either.

mark

[baldguy]

43. Unreasoned fear & unmitigated stupidity

Fueled by NRA/GOP propaganda saying "OBAMA BIN LADEN IS GONNA TAKE YER GUNS!!!!"

[benEzra]

46. I agree, the Obama administration wants to leave this issue alone.

But you are a pretty strong advocate of his reversing that position and outlawing "assault weapons," are you not? You are in the minority, thankfully, but it would be naive to suggest that the pro-AWB MSM and the remaining pro-AWB DLC'ers are powerless. Tens of millions of people got burned by the original AWB, and are not so naive as to believe that similar foolishness could not happen again.

[spinbaby]

44. Rampant paranoia

They've all been listening to hate radio telling them how that evil, socialist, muslin Obama is going to take their guns.

In a bar last night, I listened to a young man at the next table explain to his date that he was going to apply for a carry permit but was worried that, if he did, Obama would put him on a "black list." Total paranoia.

[-..__...]

45. The Obama scare got the ball rolling...

but now it's become a situation where the frenzy is feeding off of itself and gun owners are faced with the decision to either buy now, or take a chance that they'll come up empty handed or pay much higher prices in the future.

I've seen a similar situation here in the North East.

Meteorologists forecast a big storm/blizzard coming. People immediately panic and rush out and empty the shelves of bread, milk, water, etc. Then there's people like myself that are unconcerned about the forecast but say "well, I'm fine for the next day or two for those items, but if I wait and put it off, the shelves will be empty because of the panic buyers", so... I go out and buy the stuff anyways. :shrug:

Of course 9 times out of 10 there is no blizzard or big storm... and even the panic shoppers knew that that was likely (this all came about since the big blizzard of 78, BTW), but no one wanted to take the chance of getting caught short handed.

Right now, the run on ammo is the same way. Myself and others aren't worried or fearful of any ammo bans or microstamping/coding coming down the road (and we already have plenty of ammo stockpiled), but when we walk into a gun store and see only a few pathetic boxes of ammo on the shelves, we have to make a decision to buy it while it's still there, or passing knowing that it might be weeks until a new shipment arrives.

[Hugabear]

47. Public Enemy answered your question already